Thursday, December 27, 2012

Dear Carnage Report readers,As you can see the site design has changed which just one of the many things that will change on this blog. but what will stay the same is the quality of content we put out.

we will soon add a new page section to this blog so get ready for it. Feel free to comment below on the new site design. Hate it or love it, we want to know!

Love
them or hate them, smartphones are here to stay. The market growth of
smartphones has been explosive over the last couple of years, and has swamped
us with thousands of phones to choose from. Gone are the days when the sole
purpose of a mobile phone was to make phone calls; today, your phone is a
powerful computer that fits in your pocket. The usefulness and popularity of
smartphones can’t be ignored with smartphone addiction becoming a major thing.

The
continuous onslaught of newer and faster models of these smartphones have spawned
a first world problem called ‘smartphone envy’. While all smartphones
manufacturers advertise their latest model as the best phone ever made, how
many customers actually feel so after buying it? Less than half, if recent
studies are to be believed. No matter how expensive and advanced your phone is,
pretty soon you’ll feel that it has become obsolete.

A
survey reveals that one fifth of all iPhone owners suffer from smartphone envy.
The biggest reason behind is that most people buy these expensive phones on a
contract, which means that they are stuck with it for at least 2 years. So even
if an iPhone is the best phone available, the allure of a newer phone keeps on
nagging. Within 2 years, hundreds of new smartphone models flood the market,
but people already on contract can’t buy them. While it is indeed possible to
pay extra to get out of a contract for an early upgrade, the high cost is a
major deterrent, forcing them to live out their contract with their obsolete
smartphone.

Another
major reason behind smartphone envy is the software itself. For example, if
you’ve got an iPhone, you’re forced to use iOS, which has its own limitations.
While most iOS users might boast about the stability and availability of
awesome apps for the platform, they can’t overlook the extremely closed and
inflexible nature of the operating system. Similarly, while Android users like
the open source nature of the platform, they are envious of the exclusiveness
and stability of iOS. Blackberry users used to boast about the exclusiveness of
the BBM service until the gradual decline of RIM started. Blackberry users very
envious of iOS and Android because of their stocked up app stores and touch
based interface.

Many
users believe their smartphone envy exists because of the lack of availability
of apps for their smartphones. Windows phone users are right on the top in this
department, because the number of people developing for this platform is almost
nil. Microsoft so far has failed in its efforts to woo third party developers
in a way Apple and Google have, and therefore its users suffer from the worst
case of smartphone envy.

While
Apple app store is safe, well stocked, and the most user friendly app store
around, the closed structure and Apple’s vigorous censorship has put many
people off. Apple users are envious of Android users because they have more
freedom to install whatever they want on their device. But then, developers
flock to Apple because of the higher income, and Android users miss out on some
great apps which are available for iOS only. While this might be gradually
changing, but for app developers the top priority platform is still iOS, and is
expected to remain for quite some time.

The
constant state of battle between major manufacturers adds fuel to the prevalent
smartphone envy in customers. Even though a big majority of users do not use
their smartphone to its full potential, the desire to remain up to date nudges
them to splurge their money on the latest gadget. If you too are a victim of
smartphone envy, do your research and, if possible, try out the new handset you
desire and make an intelligent decision.

Monday, December 24, 2012

The Carnage Report wishes all of you who have read this blog faithfully over the last few years a merry Christmas and a very happy new year.

2013 will be a big year for this blog as we plan add new and interesting content to this site and widen the blog's reach and brand.

We will still provide quality content for you, just more of it and at a faster pace. we want to become a more interactive blog so from now on, don't be afraid to share your thoughts with us as only with your input can The Carnage Report become a better blog.

This message will be the first post of the new 'Note From The Editor' feature that will update news of fresh developments on the blog as well as comment on the latest stories in the media from the editor.

It will also you the chance to interact with the editor as we are more than willing to hear what you have say about our blog and the content we put out.

For most of us would find it pretty
difficult to imagine a world without a bank account. Think about it, no
bargains on eBay, every transaction having to done face to face and cash in
hand, but this a reality for a diminishing but still surprising number of
people in the west and beyond.

According to Business insider’s
Tim Chen, “there are 30 million consumers, representing a quarter of US
households, who earn a collective $1.3 trillion a year. But banks don’t want to
serve them”[1]. The
“unbanked and underbanked” segment of the US population have fallen victim to well-meaning
new legislation enacted by congress that was “aimed at protecting them from
high bank fees”, instantly making straightforward bank account unprofitable for
banks[2].

With this gap in the market left
right open, companies who offer cash in hand services have stepped to fill void
such as “check cashers, payday lenders and pawnbrokers...”[3]. This new paradigm in banking has made rather
unattractive for low income customers as banks have been hostile towards them
to say the least as congress legislation has “slashed banks’ profits on debit
card transactions

However, not everybody has been
kept from having bank accounts because of banks hostility to low income
customers. Due to Northern Ireland irrationally strict bankruptcy laws, people
who have fell on hard times could end up spending a year without a bank account
due to the strange fact that “no-one is legally entitled to a bank account”[4].
The real price however is inconvenience
as it does require some legwork to get what should rather simple transactions
sorted.

In the UK, the general mood of
unhappiness of people and their banks was underlined by a report were members
of the British public expressed their discontent in a YouGov and Henley
Business Survey that revealed that “65 (percent) of customers that banks were
failing to improve their customer service”[5]. In sum opening a bank account in the UK or anywhere else is
relatively simple but with the changes in the regulation of banks and what they
can charge, banks can, and often will, become hostile towards the their least
profitable customers, leaving a gap in the market for other less reputable
players.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Over the last few weeks, we have heard a lot banks about Banks Laundering money belonging to organized crime operations, rogue states and even terrorist networks. In this backgrounder, The Carnage Report will answer the question; what exactly is money laundering?

What
is Money Laundering?

Money laundering is the process by which
illegally attained funds are put through a series of transactions so that when
it comes out at the end it becomes money that is attained legally. Typically
the money is deposited into an off shore account, foreign bank, or business
that keeps few records. This allows for the money to then be transferred back
as a tax exempt legal currency.

The act of money laundering was
established as a criminal act back in 1919 in the USA. However due to the lack
of documentation banks were required to carry, many instances of laundering went unnoticed. In
1970, the United States congress passed the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). Because of
the Bank Secrecy Act, forms were introduced to create a paper trail for banks
and the IRS to follow like bread crumbs. This allowed the IRS to disrupt and
destroy many money laundering operations and organizations most notable related
to the mafia, drug trafficking, and other less than reputable ventures.

Money Laundering Examples Relating to Current Affairs

There have been many money laundering
operations that have come to light within this past few years. The RBS ( Royal
Bank of Scotland) has been in trouble as recently as last July with the US
Federal Reserve for suspected breaking of the American trade sanctions with
rogue nations, including Iran. This probe derailed the sell-off of RBS's US
subsidiary, Citizens to Santander a Spanish based bank. The well-known ING Bank
back in June was slapped with a $619 million settlement for an investigation
into compliance with the United States sanctions levied against Iran, Cuba, and
numerous other countries.

At the time, it was the biggest fine ever
paid by a banking institution to settle accusations, wrapped in facts, for
money laundering. During the investigation by the Treasury Department, there
were more than twenty thousand transactions found with deleted or manipulated
information. This allowed individuals in countries under sanctions to move
money into and out of the United States. Lloyds TSB reached a settlement with
the United States and New York State back in January for $350 million. They
admitted to moving more than $300mil for Iranian clients by stripping personal
information to hide the identity of their clients.

Not to be out done, Credit Suisse has
been laid with a $539 million in monetary penalties for its connection to
violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and of course New
York State law. The Swiss banking giant saw an increase in its dealings with
Iranian financial firms by almost 400% from 2002 at about 49,000 transactions
to 2005 reaching over 200,000 transactions. This was because in 2003 the Lloyds
TSB stopped clearing activity for its Iranian clients. Those clients switched
to the less regulated bank, Credit Suisse.

Credit Suisse went from just stripping
information to forming a team called the “specially designated payment team”
that manually reviewed over 95% of all transactions from Iranian clients. These are just some of the recent banks to
settle or be fined for failing money laundering practices. However, there is
one that must be talked about in detail as it is extremely recent in news.

The current biggest known money
laundering case would be the HSBC snafu in which the settlement for the fine
and forfeit of illegal moneys was estimated at around $1.92 billion. Back in
July 2012, there was a 300 page report compiled for a United States Senate
committee finding failure upon failure that HSBC was being used as an aqueduct
for drug cartels and rogue nations to funnel money into the United States
financial system. This led United States authorities to the nearly $2 billion
fine against HSBC for failing to stop laundering under the banking systems.

The
most note-worthy to me would be the dealings with Saudi Arabia's Al Rajhi Bank.
The Al Rajhi Bank was a member of Osama bin Ladin's “Golden Chain” of Al Qaeda
financiers. The decades of dealings made it hard for HSBC to cut off their
ties. Their own internal compliance offices asked for dealings to be terminated
as early as 2005. The United States government even had hard evidence of the
terrorist relationships that Al Rajhi Bank had, but HSBC still continued to do
business with them until 2010.

In another branch, HSBC Mexico failed to
close accounts of high-profile clients that were involved in drug trafficking.
Both Mexican and United States authorities expressed deep concern over the
ability of drug trafficker to circumvent the Anti-Money laundering regulations
of US banks by first transporting US dollars to Mexico and then using HBMX

(branch of HSBC in Mexico) to ship the money into the United States. To look
further for an example, the HBMX shopped over $7 billion to the United States
main body HSBC.

Of course, HSBC classed Mexico as a
low-risk country and continued to fail to adequately monitor its dealings and
transfers of money into and out of the country. This is just part of the many
money laundering problems that the HSBC had in the “closet”. Though this is a
major blow to the money laundering practices around the world, it is still sad
to see HSBC not be brought up on criminal indictment charges that would have
further stressed the severe penalties for pursuing money laundering as an
acceptable form of business. Still the criminal indictment was only dropped
after attaining the high fines by the prosecutors.

Final Thoughts

Obviously everything here boils down to
one simple thing. Greed. With so many banks around the world failing to enforce
anti-money laundering practices, I find my trust and the trust of the people is
being eroded to the point where it is becoming hard to maintain a positive
outlook towards banks. Now, do not get me wrong. Banks are a needed commodity
for business and clients from all walks of life, but the more failures and
corruption are displayed for the world to see; the more it hurts the economic
stability of the all nations. This is because banks are built on a type of
trust. A trust that should be without doubt, but that is becoming an extremely
rare commodity. So, I urge everyone to be wary and keep watch for money
laundering is just the tip of the ice-burg in a far greater problem of rampant
corruption in our financial institutions.

This article will not recount
the horror and carnage that took place on Friday December 14th as
the events that transpired on that day are seared into the collective American consciousness
and beyond. What this article will address in length is the reaction to such a
tragedy as all that can be done now is to remember and bury the 20 children and
7 adults who perished and do everything possible to make such an act doesn’t
happen again.

President Obama has
accomplished much in his four years in office, he has made sure women are paid
the same amount as men for the same work, he has rid this world of the menace
of Osama Bin Laden and a played a large role in saving the American automotive
industry but has been disappointingly silent on the need for gun control.

Gun control is a difficult
issue to negotiate for democrats and republicans as the democrats appear not
have to have the stomach for a showdown with the powerful and influential gun lobby
and the republicans operate as wholly owned subsidiary of it. However after the
Sandy Hook Massacre, such excuses will not quell the ground swell across the
nation calling for something to be done on guns.

Political expediency is no
excuse to do nothing in the face of great tragedy, while this not the first
mass shooting the president has done little to combat, with the death of 27 people, most of which were children, president
Obama surely does not want to be known as the president who did nothing in response to the cold blooded murder of 27 American citizens.

The president has had the
opportunity to address prevalence of guns in American society but has shirked
the opportunity to act or even comment at any length on the need for gun
control. Four major mass shootings have taken place under Obama’s Presidency,
which is, obviously four too many. He must do everything to prevent there being
a fifth tragedy, making inaction an national travesty and personal shame on the
president as he, through doing nothing reneges on his first duty as president
of the united states, keep his fellow citizens safe from all threats foreign
and domestic.

Obama must take on the powerful
gun lobby and pro-gun republicans in coming up with smart and needed gun
control legislation starting with a ban on assault rifles and automatic weapons
as such weapons have only one function: to kill and maim whatever and whoever
they are aimed at.

In conclusion, there are no
excuses for the Obama Whitehouse and congress not acting on putting together
reasonable gun control legislation in the face of unspeakable horror and pain
simply because time, the American people will except nothing less than bold
action, the price for the failure to act will serve as a vindication of why
political institutions in America are hated by it citizens. It will also be a
personal shame on a president who promised so much back in 2008 who would been
seen by fellow citizens to have reneged on his highest duty as president above
all else; to keep fellow Americans safe.

Fracking or hydraulic fracturing is a
process to extract natural gas from Shale rock layers that involves injecting
chemicals, often toxic, and gallons of water under high pressure. Hydraulic
fracturing is different than just drilling as it is injecting fluid in the
veins of a rock and expanding them. With such a great amount of pressure and
chemicals, the rock shatters releasing the gas flow.

By doing this it creates new channels in
which the natural gases can be extracted from the rock. Unlike oil, cases that
use this method are doing so because putting any type of drill into the rock
instantly creates enough friction to produce sparks which could easily light
the natural gases on fire. Send the whole project exploding. This is why the
men are required to keep a constant vigil on the equipment and materials they
use.

Use of Fracking

Fracking was started in 1947, now it is
used extensively for extracting natural gas. Britain's government welcomes the
resumption of fracking. Lancashire signals green to the company Cuadrilla
resources. Government of Northern Ireland is considering fracking by an
Australian company, Tamboran which has a license to explore the method of gas
extraction in County Fermangh. In the US, California has yet to begin fracking
in earnest. In Montery County, the Denver based Oil Company Venoco has been
given a green signal. Fracking, though is yet to be used in many parts of the
world, yet we come across many such massive uses of fracking globally.

Induced hydraulic fracturing is commonly
used to either increase the flow or restore the flow of fluids in a rock like
petroleum, water, and natural gas. Typically these are used on porous
sandstone, lime stones or dolomite rocks and sometimes include shale or coal
beds. Also, this tends to be used for rocks that are 1,000 – 6,000 miles below
the surface as the depth may cause there to not be enough pressure to allow
natural gas and oil to flow from the rocks into the well bore at the rates of
the current economy. This method can cause super fracking which provides a
wealthy yield of gases for about a year or two and then drops off at an extreme
rate.

The way that this fluid is applied is it
is poured down a hole and into the rocks below, spreading it to the rock bed
below to make it exceed the pressure rate of the rock. Once the crack forms the
fluid seeps further in to the rock and does not stop. The operator uses
prop-pant to slow the rate of fracturing so that when the fluid stops the
prop-pant stops the cracks from refilling and stopping the rate of fluid. Once
the fluid begins to stop it needs to be controlled before it begins to change
the geometry of the cracks of other rock beds and materials beside it,
otherwise it could damage that areas fracture rate which would decrease product
efficiency.

The equipment used with oils and natural
gas is a more slurry blender with a high pressure fracturing pump with a
monitor to watch it all.

Prop-pants consists of many things as
prop-pant is just a generalized name including several different materials.
These could be silica sand, resin-coated sand, or man-made ceramics. The type
of prop-pant depends on the gradient that they are working with and the
strength that is needed. While the most common is the silica sand, the man-made
ceramics are more efficient in doing the job. Due to higher porosity of the
fracture, more gases flow through and are collected.

Fracking Controversy

So, now that we know about what fracking,
and what it is used for, let's talk about controversy. The controversy has been
running since fracking was first implemented in 1947. There is always a chance
of the chemicals escaping into under ground water sources. There are many
diseases that can result from this because when it happens the contaminated
water is left in a severely unhealthy state.

That being said, the news of the world
has had a massive amount of coverage on this controversy lately. In the UK last
year, fracking was put on hold due to the gas explorer Cuadrilla Resources being
linked to a series of strong earthquakes. Now, the UK has given the go ahead
for fracking to resume but only under super strict regulations. In the USA,
there have been numerous displays of fracking gone bad. In Michigan, many gas
explorer companies are renewing interest in the deposits there. California is
still on hold to start fracking projects of their own.

Multiple states including Colorado,
Wyoming, Utah, and Texas have had massive fracking projects run to.Sadly, in
every place that has been listed, there have been multiple cases of chronic
health problems due to the mishandling of waste, contamination of drinking
water, and even the air. The off set of viable energy, money, and so forth is
not a viable reason to me and certainly not to the people who actually have
received health problems from this energy “boon”.

Look at the study done by professor
Robert W. Howarth of Cornell University, in it he quotes that 3.6% to 7.9% of
the methane escaping from shale-gas productions happens of the lifetime of the
well. Breathing methane in small amounts is not very detrimental to the health
of a person. However, at these rates the concentration is enough to cause many
health problems like unstable emotions, nausea, vomiting, respiratory collapse,
and in extreme cases death. I mention this because methane is a main ingredient
in natural gas production. Many places that use fracking inversely effect the
surrounding cities, towns, and landscapes because of this and the amount of
chemicals and water being forced into places it was never meant to go.

In 2010, Josh Fox released the movie “Gas-Land” depicting the effects of fracking on different communities in the
USA. Because the U.S. Created this
method, almost all the environmental impact studies have been based here. The
is also a final concern about water consumption is arid places where it can
affect water supplies. Here an average well's requirement is 3 to 8 million US
gallons (11,000 to 30,000 m3) of water, typically within one week.

Conclusion

It is still an issue of debate whether
using fracking is safe and should be allowed or not, yet the ever growing
demand and pressing price of oil makes it nearly impossible to deny its use.
There have been many conventions coming to argue that it is unsafe, and though
it is, almost all of them are area based. Some areas experience more health
issues than others, some have to repair the environment that they're in, but
other areas are not even effected or phased by the fluid. The fact that the
damage is so dependent on the area in which the fracking takes place makes it
difficult to determine whether the whole of the regime is safe or not. However,
with how unstable our world is becoming, it is time for us as people to find a
better way of doing things for our future. We have the technology. So, why
don't we use it wisely.

While most politicians are met
with suspicion or indifference, you cannot meet Avigdor Lieberman with either
the former or the latter as he has said a comment that will leave you in no
doubt that he is “one of the most unpleasant politicians in the middle east”(1).From considering
that Arabs in Israel should “sign loyalty oaths” and openly suggesting that the
democratically elected “leaders of the Hamas militant movement in the
Palestinian territories be assassinated”, Lieberman has allowed no room for
observers to question where he stands in the middle peace process(2).

His ideology is making Jerusalem
Israel’s capital has been antithetical to the peace process as further seizure
of Jerusalem will remove the two-state solution as a viable option. Lieberman has no problem sharing his opinion about
Jerusalem as in “in addressing a groups of foreign diplomats” Lieberman stated
that “Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the state of Israel and that it will
never be divided-neither directly nor indirectly”(3).
Lieberman is fully invested in this vision as he is seen as a “champion of
Jewish settlement in the West Bank and a settler himself”(4).

He has managed to antagonize
allies as he told then Egyptian president and one of Israel’s best allies in
the Middle East, Hosni Mubarak that he “should visit Israel or “go to hell”(5).
The use of language has been cited as
divisive to the point that journalist Robert Fisk compared Lieberman’s language
to “Mladic, Karadzic and Milosevic” as his language his rife with references “of
executions-of drowning, of hell and legal oaths”(6).

So you can imagine the joy met
with the news that Lieberman was resigning in lieu of a “financial scandal”(7).
While Lieberman managed to escape the “more serious offences” against him,
“including money laundering and bribery”, he did not escape lesser charges as
prosecutors “charged Lieberman with the lesser offence of receiving official
material from the investigation against him”(8).

However, unfortunately, this is
likely not to be the last we will see of Lieberman because of the lesser charge
and the lack of evidence of the eye catching indictments. In sum, the world would be a
better place without him near a speakerphone oreven better, a diplomatic mission, anywhere.

[1] R.
Frisk, 2009, Why Avigdor Lieberman is the worst thing that could happen to the
Middle East, http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-why-avigdor-lieberman-is-the-worst-thing-that-could-happen-to-the-middle-east-1647370.html

More and more, we find ourselves in an age where we are inundated with information, most of which has no use to us. We are in need of a method or technique to frame our thoughts and control the flow of information we take in. Confronting this reality, this book helps us take in information and frame our thoughts through the method of mind mapping.

Mind mapping is a useful and deceptively simple tool to organize and frame our thoughts. It helps us think about things differently as we note information differently than the traditional way of note taking. It is designed to make its user record and use information the exact way our brains take in and interprets information.

Mind Mapping has positive implications for all of us in the information age as we seek to educate ourselves and learn about new subjects. Specially, as we come across new experiences shaping our thinking and ultimately how we react in the world.

In sum, this book is a must grab is it does what most books you encounter don’t; help you deal effectively with a new reality and, through some trial and error, adapt to it.

There
are many things you can say about constitutions but one thing you can’t say is
that they do not matter. While previous Egyptian governments have been less
than faithful to the 1971 constitution, the referendum on the much disputed
draft constitution will be a major event in the country’s history as the country
reconfigures its social contract. In theory, the drafting of the Egypt’s
politico-legal architecture should be rational process where all concerns are
heard and considered in the final document; however we live in a world of fact
and power struggles.

The draft
constitution, largely written by the Muslim brotherhood, as you might expect,
favour Islamic traditions and laws, secularist and liberals however see the
draft constitution as an affront to the principles they fought for in getting
rid of Hosni Mubarak and have subsequently boycotted talks with the brotherhood[1].

However
the concerns of secularists and liberals about the draft constitution soon to
be subject to referendum as the document, for the most part, merely adds
changes that further mainly Islamic interests while weakening traditional
liberal rights free speech as while the new constitution mildly deviates from
the 1971 constitution position stipulating that “the state shall guarantee the
freedom of belief and the freedom of practice of religious rites”, the new
constitution while enshrining free
speech in article 45 prohibits the “insulting (of) prophets and messengers” in
article 44[2].

The real
demarcations between the two constitutions are to be found over the rights of
women. Article 11 of the 1971 constitution, actually recognizes the rights of women
as the document ensures:

"The
state shall guarantee the proper balance between the duties of women towards
the family and their work in society, considering their equal status with men
in the fields of political, social, cultural and economic life without
violation of the rules of Islamic jurisprudence"[3].

While
the draft constitution recognizes the rights of Egyptians, it falls short of a “explicit
guarantee of women’s rights”[4].
To end on a good note, the draft constitution limits the ‘presidential mandate’
to four years from the 1971 constitution’s six while ensuring that presidents can
only serve two terms instead of the “unlimited number of terms” in the 1971
constitution[5].

In sum,
the power struggles will continue whether the draft constitution is ratified or
not with pro-brotherhood forces calling for greater enshrinement of Islam in
the constitution while liberals will demand more rights. In the end, as
suspected, both sides will probably be disappointed with the results.

The Conservative Party can be
cruel, the Conservative Party can be cold, but what you can count on is that
the Conservative party will be predictable. Surprise, surprise, chancellor
George Osborne announced welfare cuts in the Autumn statement targeting the
unemployed and working class as these cuts “will see most working age benefits
including Job Seekers Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance and Income Support,
Child Tax Credit and the Working Tax Credits rise below inflation at one per
cent for three years[1]”

These cuts ironically hurts the
institution conservatives appeal to the most (save the business community, of
course) the family as they punish single parent families as “single parents
stand to lose £330 of their 2011-12 income in their 2015-16 pay packets” while
couples are less hit, they are hit nonetheless as “a couple who have children
and rely on childcare are set to lose on average £217 and a couple with
children in which only one adult works will lose £122”[2]

Many argue, mostly conservatives
and new Labour relics, that the class wars are over, they’re right, but only
because the rich and privileged have won. The chancellor, who is both rich and privileged
has targeted the welfare system from the off for cuts as the conservative party
have made it a point to tackle ‘scroungers’ but have done very little to tackle
to regulate the excesses of corporate greed or even manage the economy efficiently.

The Labour party have dithered
in their response to the Autumn statement, presumably coming up with a plan on how best
not to look like they care about the plight of people who make up most of the
country as according to a ‘senior Labour figure’, backing people who probably
vote Labour may be “politically suicidal” as it leaves “the party open to
charges that it sides with “scroungers” and is in denial over the need to cut
the benefits bill”[3].

This reveals the cowardice of
the Labour party which was created to represent the poor and disenfranchised
which currently being led by a son of a Marxist who seems to have real anxiety
over standing up for the poor and unemployed. While it is quite clear Labour
will not return to the old social democratic position any time soon, it should
at least be able to put up a serious defense of the working poor who mostly
vote Labour in their droves.

In sum, the welfare cuts announced
in the Autumn Statement was no shocks as the coalition government led by the Conservatives
has proven from the get go that welfare cuts were on the menu and the working
poor and the unemployed had better watch out. The lack of response from the Labour Party has shown that the Labour party have been cowardly in defending
the poor as they try to avoid the conservatives accusing them of siding with
the poor, which, more often than not opt for Labour as the conservatives, to be
sure, have made clear who they are for and who they are against.

Say what you want about politics
as a profession or process but one thing that can be said about politics that
would be true is that politics is not a game of half measures. Mohammed Morsi today
has learnt this to his detriment as the Egyptian president “scrapped a decree… (that
gave) him near-absolute powers”[1].Initially
defending his move to usurp power Morsi has abandoned ‘sweeping powers’ that
allowed Morsi to “declare emergency laws and him from judicial oversight”[2].

Morsi’s power grab has
instantly split the country into two or at least the protesters in Cairo, Egypt’s
capital. A prime example of the split manifested outside the presidential
palace as “supporters and opponents of president Mohammed Morsi threw rocks and
firebombs at each other” throwing the country into crisis[3]. His usurpation of pharaoh-like
power has been costly as it has sapped away any political capital Morsi may have
had and sure not be forgotten due the death of seven Egyptians[4].

Mohammed Morsi must have seen
this reaction coming as pulling power moves in a country with a healthy dislike
for dictators is sure to spark widespread anger, just ask Hosni Mubarak. His
mandate was narrow to begin with due to just beating a pro-Mubarak apparatchik narrowly
as the nation effectively chose to go with the lesser of two hated but
organized evils.

The only legitimacy Morsi had
was to implement reforms that gave Egyptians more freedoms, the main reason,
along with other factors, behind the revolution in the first place. Now he has
to mend fences and make real concessions to bring the secular and liberal
opposition to the table, probably starting with the draft constitution secular and
liberal groups strongly disagree with as they contest that the document “only
represents Islamists, disregarding the rights of liberals, women, workers, and Christians”[5].

In sum, Morsi has made a
serious mistake in usurping ‘sweeping powers’ as he should have calculated that
there would be a serious reaction to such news from a people who have grown a
healthy appetite for protest and confrontation of power.